October 24/2012 is the date that Prince Albert & other municipalities will look to complete the municipal electoral process to select a Mayor, Councillors and School Board Members.

This year will be the first Saskatchewan municipal election to have all successful candidates complete a four year term over the three terms previously served. Four long years, does this mean each voter should complete more due diligence in selecting the candidate(s) they choose to represent them moving forward, perhaps?

What about voter turnout, our last municipal election realized very low voter turnouts, Saskatoon 27%, Regina 24%. Surely, we must need our community to fully engage to ensure those elected, do represent the majority of our community citizens.

I encourage you to review the list of all completed nominations, once the nomination process concludes on September 19/12. Review the list of all candidates running for Mayor, City Council and the School Board. Summarize any concerns you may have or changes you would like to see.

Review candidate’s platforms to see if their priorities are seen in the same light as yours, ask questions and become engaged. Remember this is your community, use your voice to ensure the direction and stewardship of our fine city is lead by the candidate of your choosing.

Hopefully this upcoming election will see an increase in community engagement and voter turnout to ensure that those successful candidates chosen represent the majority of our communities’ citizens.

The Prince Albert & District Chamber of Commerce will look to host a Mayoral candidate’s forum for our members to attend and ask questions of participating Mayoral candidate’s. If you are a member please look to attend, if you are not a member, it never too late to join the Chamber or you can look for other forums being hosted and look to engage.

We value your privacy. We will use the information you have provided to provide you with a response. We will not sell or divulge your information to any other party. If you have questions about any of this, please direct them to 306-764-6222.